Disney Night on Dancing With the Stars should be the happiest night on Earth for the contestants. For Jodie Sweetin, it was a night of harsh criticism from longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Sweetin performed a Cha-cha with pro Keo Motsepe to the song “Try Everything” from Zootopia. The pressure seems to be getting to the Fuller House star. She has everything she needs to succeed out there on the dance floor: work ethic, dance talent and a bright smile. However, she’s missing a key ingredient — confidence.
More:DWTS’ Jodie Sweetin is feeling the pressure, thanks to some newly added challenges
She missed some steps and found herself offbeat with Motsepe throughout the dance. Instead of crisp steps and Latin hip action, Sweetin struggled with some of the choreography that she had nailed in her rehearsal package.
This turn on the dance floor led to some harsh criticism from Inaba, who dug right into the mother of two.
“It was an underwhelming performance, and I know that you know that,” she said to Sweetin. “But what happened?”
Jodie responded, “I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t hear the music.”
“You couldn’t hear? It felt like you were marking it and you guys couldn’t get in sync,” Inaba said.
Ouch!
Sweetin saved the moment with a thoughtful response that broke DWTS fans’ hearts.
“Our amazing fans were so wonderful and screaming, but I couldn’t hear the music,” she replied.
The night got even harder when Sweetin and Mostepe found themselves in the bottom two couples at the end of the night. Throughout all of the nights ups and downs, Sweetin still managed to have a smile on her face.
More:Nyle DiMarco’s shirtless DWTS routine tonight has a much deeper meaning behind it
The other superstars of the night are carryovers from last week — Wanya Morris and Nyle DiMarco.
DiMarco performed a Samba to “Trashin’ the Camp” from Tarzan with partner Peta Murgatroyd. The America’s Next Top Model winner is proving that he can hear the music in different ways. He follows the rhythm of his pro and moves in time based off of a feeling versus a musical cue. It’s inspiring to watch.
The other revelation of the night was a contemporary Samba danced by Morris and pro Lindsay Arnold to “Circle of Life” from The Lion King. The Boyz II Men musician has a lyrical quality even though the Latin dance was filled with powerful moves. The dance was slightly underscored by the judges, but the singer is a contender for the finals.
Other notable performances included Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy, who had a sweet Broadway-style Foxtrot to “Belle (Bonjour)” from Beauty and the Beast. Zee has only shown her adorable side, so it’s time to dig even deeper and show some grit in her dancing if she wants to make the finals.
Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas are also proving to be a strong team with their outstanding Quickstep to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story. VanZant is a breath of fresh air every time she steps out onto that dance floor.
The other Quickstep of the night was from the always bubbly Kim Fields, who seemed to tire at the end of her Jungle Book routine. However, she’s on the right track and improving each week.
The judges want to pit the two younger NFL players against each other. According to the panel, Antonio Brown won the Disney Night round with his Aladdin jazz routine. To many longtime fans, Von Miller had the breakthrough of the night with an elegant Cinderella-inspired Viennese Waltz. Brown’s routine was energetic but simplistic in choreography leading to many viewer cries of an overscored routine.
While it was a surprise to some that Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff are safe to dance another week. The former NFL star’s emotional availability is refreshing for an athlete. Most fans expect football players to offer a competitive, not a softer edge. Flutie does have an uphill battle when it comes to mastering choreography, but he seems happy to put in the work in the rehearsal studio.
More: Mischa Barton explains why she & her partner had a rough time on DWTS
Marla Maples ended her DWTS run with a Little Mermaid Waltz. It wasn’t her best outing, but she proved that her elegant lines always served her well in her four weeks on the show.
Next week brings the tumultuous Switch Up, where contestants are given a different pro to work with for the week. It’s always an episode filled with nerves, a few tears and one step closer to that Mirror Ball Trophy.
Leave a Comment